Finally - New Tank!

[simonas]

its looking good Tenohfive

I;ll be keeping an eye on this one as it sounds very promising

Davo86 that tank is a stunner mate!! :

 

[tenohfive]

Quick question...what sort of size do Nic's tend to colour up at? There's one for sale near me that's around 3 inches at the moment. Pic's below. I'm tempted to get him...thoughts?

 

[ChilliPepper]

Female Nics are far more colourful than the males, but they are cowbags

 

[Davo86]

They Male looks to be about 85% coloured up, Their colours aren't as bold as the females but are still quite striking under the right lighting

 

[ChilliPepper]

This is a pic of my female, she's got even better lately, but she's mean!

 

[tenohfive]

She is lovely. I've decided not to get the male pictured above, I'm going to give a female Nic a try and if it doesn't work out maybe consider a male.

Here's a video of my pim pictus for Simonas - taken this morning, they were relatively calm which was a pleasant surprise. Phone video so poor quality:

 

[tenohfive]

A quick question.

I'm planning on going shopping for a Rotkeil and a female Nic tomorrow. I'll probably check out Wildwoods, MA Crews Hill and MA St Albans. Are there any other places within a reasonable distance that I should check out? This is my pride and joy tank so I don't mind going a bit further - where do people recommend?

 

[tenohfive]

Quick update.

Went to MA St Albans, Hertfordshire Fisheries, MA Crews Hill, and Wildwoods. Wildwoods had some absolutely stunning Rotkeil's but they were £50 - too much for me. I had to wrench myself away from the tank as I was so taken with them. I ended up getting what I believe to be a young adult female Nic from MA StA. Her colours aren't fantastic yet but I believe there is some promise there, and she was the pushiest in a tank full of similarly sized Nic's.

I did see some Blue Severums in Hertfordshire Fisheries (which has improved a lot since I was last in there) and I was really impressed, but they had none for sale - just some in a display tank and they wouldn't order any in for me. A pity as the quality of their stock seems a lot better than the last time I was there.

The Nic has been added to the new tank and left in the dark for a few hours. I've just put the lights on and seen some lip locking between the Rainbow and the Nic, of which the Nic (whilst seeming uncomfortable) seemed to fare better. The Sajica is fully grown and twice the size of the Nic however, and has been getting involved too. I'm going to keep an eye and if she's not more comfortable tomorrow I might put the Sajica in a temporary tank for a couple of days so that the Nic can establish a territory - if she's just fighting the Rainbow I reckon she'll settle in, but unless she finds an area that the big fat fatty can't get to I think she might have issues as the Sajica seems to treat anywhere he can reach as his territory.

Really pleased so far though

 

[tenohfive]

This is starting to get frustrating. Two more LFS checked out, no Rotkeils. Trying to find a Rotkeil without a silly price tag is turning into a nightmare. Might just have to scrimp a bit and get the one from Wildwoods that I fell for if it's still available

 

[tenohfive]

The Nic is an absolute cow bag, as predicted. I've given things a fair run but my Rainbow is bearing the brunt and is turning almost black from the stress. The Nic is colouring up nicely but the Rainbow takes priority - I've had him longer and he's a fantastic character. I'm going to bite the bullet and pay Wildwoods prices for a Rotkeil within the next few days and will see if that shifts the balance in the tank but if it doesn't the Nic will be going - either rehoming completely or I may setup a small Nic breeding programme.

What should I consider in place of the Nic? Something at least as big as a Rainbow, and preferably colourful - JD perhaps? I've thought about Chocolate Cichlids, Ellioti, Firemouths and Blue Acaras but none are jumping out at me, so what alternatives are there?

 

[ChilliPepper]

My Nic is still a cowbag to my Rotkeils. She's a b$tch to everyone. Absolutely stunning fish, but very argumentative. I carefully picked the most placid one from the tank she came from too... Think they are all the same.

 

[leecasey]

The Nic is an absolute cow bag, as predicted. I've given things a fair run but my Rainbow is bearing the brunt and is turning almost black from the stress. The Nic is colouring up nicely but the Rainbow takes priority - I've had him longer and he's a fantastic character. I'm going to bite the bullet and pay Wildwoods prices for a Rotkeil within the next few days and will see if that shifts the balance in the tank but if it doesn't the Nic will be going - either rehoming completely or I may setup a small Nic breeding programme.

What should I consider in place of the Nic? Something at least as big as a Rainbow, and preferably colourful - JD perhaps? I've thought about Chocolate Cichlids, Ellioti, Firemouths and Blue Acaras but none are jumping out at me, so what alternatives are there?

The Rotkeils in Wildwoods are really nice. They are in a tank with some Red Sevs which are also very nice. £50 a pair. Are they only selling in pairs as they didnt price them singly. If it wasn't for the Sevs destroying my plants I def would have had one or two!

 

[Davo86]

The Nic is an absolute cow bag, as predicted. I've given things a fair run but my Rainbow is bearing the brunt and is turning almost black from the stress. The Nic is colouring up nicely but the Rainbow takes priority - I've had him longer and he's a fantastic character. I'm going to bite the bullet and pay Wildwoods prices for a Rotkeil within the next few days and will see if that shifts the balance in the tank but if it doesn't the Nic will be going - either rehoming completely or I may setup a small Nic breeding programme.

What should I consider in place of the Nic? Something at least as big as a Rainbow, and preferably colourful - JD perhaps? I've thought about Chocolate Cichlids, Ellioti, Firemouths and Blue Acaras but none are jumping out at me, so what alternatives are there?

Since purchasing my female Jack, I have come to the conclusion that they are incredibly under rated, I'd definitely go for one if you get the opportunity,

Although other rarer species to consider could be Aequidens diadema, or Amphilophus Lyonsi or maybe even a smaller Pike such as Crenicichla compressiceps

 

[tenohfive]

They are stunning Lee - the ones right in your eye line as you walk into the tropical section. Although I've just found a breeder in Wembley, may think about getting some from him...although the Wildwoods ones are wild it seems. I'm a little confused actually, as they were selling for £50 a pair or £50 when I asked for an individual. Might ring them to clarify.

I'll have a look at those Davo, sounds like some interesting possibilities. Although I've always had the idea of a Jack (possibly an EBJD) in the back of my mind.

 

[tenohfive]

I just got back from Wildwoods, and am £55 lighter in wallet having bought a wild Rotkeil. Some phone pic's below that don't come close to doing him justice - he is an absolute stunner. He's acclimatising as I type:

I've decided to hang fire on removing the Nic and see how things go once the Rotkeil has settled in - if he takes some of the flak from the Nic then it could give the Rainbow some respite - basically I'm playing wait and see. The redmoor wood will be arriving in the couple of days hopefully - when it does arrive I'll be tying on some Java Fern and Java Moss to the top level of the bog wood/redmoor wood tangle and basically doing a rescape, so I'll give it a week or two after that before I make any firm decisions about whether to keep the Nic or not.